Repin's "Volga Boatmen"
Crossway Fellowship believes that missions is largely a state of mind. It's members are committed to befriending unbelievers and telling them about Jesus, beginning with their neighbors and working out from there. That said, here are some of the cross-cultural ministries Crossway is privileged to support and be a part of.
Our Russian Baptist Connection
From 2001-2005, Dane Blount taught at a Russian Baptist seminary in Samara, Russia. He still maintains contact with the graduating class, a great group of guys, most of whom have gone on to some form of full-time ministry, either there or abroad. Here’s what some of them are doing for the Lord right now.
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10 have gone on to become pastors of local churches
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5 have gone on to become teachers at a Bible institute
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2 have gone on to become international missionaries
Indigenous pastors and teachers and missionaries like these need our moral and prayer and financial support! In this regard, and over the years, Crossway has had the privilege of giving toward the purchase of: costly life-saving medicine for a pastor’s child, a Bible institute teacher’s refurbished laptop, missionary efforts in Abkhazia and Ghana, cancer treatments for a pastor’s wife, and Christmas bonuses for former students now in full-time ministry.
It’s not much, and we wish to do more as the Lord provides. Even so, we know that the gifts we do give meet real needs and arrive as great encouragements on the field. In fact, the more tech-savvy of these recipients will sometimes Skype-in to Sunday service to say thank you and lead us in prayer. That way even a smaller church like ours can feel like it’s making a difference.
Testimonial: “My evaluation of the work in Samara can be summarized in a single thought: An undiminished legacy of biblical truth and ministry methodology has been handed down to the saints in Russia. The work there is a living illustration of 2 Timothy 2:2 – ‘The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.’ The adjective ‘undiminished’ is absolutely essential to understanding the meaning of my summary. The training center in Samara is a faithful replica of The Master’s Seminary in that the instructors and students hold to the same basic convictions—specifically, the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Scriptures, the necessity of Christ-centered expository preaching, and biblical counseling. The absence of gimmicks and shortcuts is obvious. Men are being taught to live right and work hard to bring God’s Word to God’s people.”
Paul Washer
HeartCry Missionary Society
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Our Arab Muslim Connection
Our ministry to Arab Muslims, as it turns out, is both here and abroad. Locally, we support the Arab American Learning Center of Sacramento and the gospel ministry Raed and Mnar Awabdeh have got running out of there. The front lines of foreign missions have been redrawn, as refugees from hotspots all over the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, have settled in the greater Sacramento area. Reaching these people for Christ has never been easier. It’s now or never, and Crossway as a congregation feels it must answer this call.
Crossway members have helped AALC: settle refugee families in their new homes, including furnishing-out apartments; evangelize these neighborhoods door to door; hold Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner celebrations, where the gospel was presented; and fund/staff its yearly summer camp for families. A new objective is to get the gospel in early by providing Christian daycare and pre-school for these families, as they adjust to life here in the US and get back on their feet.
If you wish to learn more about this ministry, you may contact them directly:
AALC
1433 Fulton Ave. #H
Sacramento, CA 95825
Ph # (916) 484-0175
Or, you may call our point-man on this project, Jerry Waechter, at (530) 263-1715. The Lord bless all our efforts with the salvation of souls!
That’s locally. Abroad we support a young missionary family to the country of Jordan. And we must be careful at this point how much we say. We don’t want to risk exposure or attract any unwanted attention. So please forgive the brevity. They are presently in the Arabic language-learning process, and will soon be teaching at a seminary that educates pastors from surrounding countries. If you would like to find out more about them, perhaps even support them in some way, please do not hesitate to call either Dane Blount at (530) 470-3248 or Tricia Johnson at (530) 559-0470.
"I believe that Muslim refugees, who settle in America, may become either a great blessing or challenge to its society and churches. If we share the love of Christ with them today, who knows whether tomorrow many don't respond in faith, perhaps even return to Muslim communities overseas we could never reach? Of course, if we fail to reach out to them, I'm sure they have proselytizing ambitions of their own. Either way, for better or worse, our fates are intertwined."
Raed Awabdeh
AALC
